Business Tips: A special customer deserves your focus

SAN ANGELO, Texas - As any small business owner knows, it is much easier to retain an existing customer than acquire a new one. Many businesses today are paying special attention to customer service management.

One successful way to celebrate their loyalty and patronage is by conducting customer appreciation days.

This is known as customer retention strategy and it is followed by numerous businesses. This is an important part of a company’s marketing strategy as they offer a unique opportunity for businesses to introduce new products or promote others to their customers.

Maybe your small business should conduct a customer appreciation day. Here are some ideas that should be helpful to you.

Customer Appreciation Day

Keep in mind that customer appreciation days are not about throwing a party to please your customers.

When planning one, you should be very clear about the goals you want to achieve when putting on this type of event. For example, many companies plan customer appreciation days just before an expected period of lower sales.

Once your goals are set, you have to start planning how much you want to spend on the event.

Determine whether only the customer will be invited or his family as well and whether it will be an all-day or half-day affair. You may want to offer free merchandise or discounts to customers.

After you have finalized the budget, all activities such as promotions, games and food are planned. It is important to advertise the event so all your customers are aware of it. Send out mailers, special invitations to big clients and use other, traditional, methods.

The event can take place at your business, or you can book a hotel or banquet hall. If you have enough space, you can plan some office games and activities to entertain your customers.

Food should be snacks such as finger foods, which people can eat while socializing.

Customer appreciation days can be very beneficial to small business promotion as well as play a big role in building long-lasting business relationships. From the customer point of view, the events are entertaining and offer freebies and discount products. It can be a win-win for both the small business and their customers.

As Michael LeBoeuf says, “A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.”

“Business Tips” was written by Paul Howard, Business Development Specialist and Certified Business Advisor III of Angelo State University’s Small Business Development Center. For more information on the topic of this article or the services of the ASU SBDC, contact him at Paul.Howard@angelo.edu.